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Come here for a meal right after seeing Church of St. Martin-within-Ludgate. British and Thai food is worth a try here.
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Price range per person £24
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22-28 Broadway, London, England, United Kingdom, SW1H 9JS
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Afternoon tea was served in the lounge with floral displays reflecting the Chelsea Flower show. Alongside the regular tea choices, there was also speciality selection of hand-crafted flower teas. But for two tea lovers, floral teas wouldn't do us justice. I opted for the vintage raw puerh and Mr T opted for pre-rain dragon well supreme. Not a single moment were our glasses empty with champagne, the waiters replenished regularly. Laurent-Perrier Brut champagne isn't the best but don't be silly to fill up on it. What looks good also tasted as good or even better.
Firstly we were treated to a selection of savoury treats, showcasing best of British seasonal ingredients. The first plate consisted of avocado & baby vegetable shot, garden pea &basil tart, miniature eggs benedict and smoked chicken & tarragon teardrop. I didn't get to try the mini eggs benedict as Mr T took it but with it had a little quails egg perched on top looking ever so fine. The second plate consisted of smoked salmon roulade on rye bread, delicate goat cheese & tomato with cheddar shortbread and roast beef & horseradish on beetroot bread. All the nibbles was enjoyable, original and fresh - both in concept and taste.
A tradition dictates we moved on to the scones. It was served alongside with the savoury treats and I'm fussy about scones. It needs to light, fluffy and warm; which ticks all the boxes. Lavender infused scones complemented by rose infused strawberry cream and clotted cream. A little less tradition were the mini Chelsea buns reflecting the theme accompanied by lemon curd.
Finally came the show piece, the glasshouse! It imitated a green house with the beautiful edible garden sitting inside it. The desserts were works of art. Every moments before the glass cloche is lifted will have you gasping 'Whoa'! The garden featured edible soil which tasted mostly of chocolate but also had dried olives. It houses a lemon box hedge, raspberry meringue pie, Laurent-Perrier strawberry champagne bubble, crushed violet macaroon and chocolate pebbles. All the cakes were gorgeous, light and not overly sweet. My favourite was the macaroon, it was just stunning.
Overall, this has to be one of the best afternoon tea me and Mr T have ever had. The concept was unique and there wasn't an element that we can fault or not liking it. The service was flawless, entertainment was great with live harp music playing and the food is outstanding. Cannot highly recommend it enough.
To celebrate the 101 years of floral festival 'The Chelsea Flower Show' which was held in May, InterContinental Westminster have created an exquisite 'Edible Garden' themed afternoon tea in partnership with Laurent-Perrier champagne. So 3 weeks ago, I had the most amazing afternoon tea experience that left me and Mr T who accompanied me so buzzing. And since this is all to celebrate the Chelsea Flower show, you will also be treated to free flowing champagne. You haven't read it wrong, yes, free flowing champagne. Not more can you complain.
Afternoon tea was served in the lounge with floral displays reflecting the Chelsea Flower show. Alongside the regular tea choices, there was also speciality selection of hand-crafted flower teas. But for two tea lovers, floral teas wouldn't do us justice. I opted for the vintage raw puerh and Mr T opted for pre-rain dragon well supreme. Not a single moment were our glasses empty with champagne, the waiters replenished...
Talking of flowers...the 20th of May marks the opening of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the most famous flower and garden show in the UK which attracts visitors from all over the world to view the innovative garden designs.
The celebrate 101 years of the Chelsea Flower Show, The Intercontinental London Westminster have designed an 'Edible Garden' afternoon tea and they invited me along to sample it.
Supplies of champagne were incredibly generous and my glass was not left empty even for a moment. As Laurent Perrier is one of my favourites, this was definitely much appreciated.
Soon our first course came out on the traditional tea time tower.
And our waitress gave a detailed explanation of each delicacy.
First of all we tried the baby vegetable shot. The green mousse had a refreshing taste of avocado and it was topped with edible 'soil' made from rye bread and tiny perfectly carved vegetables. It was a mini masterpiece and a lovely little amuse bouche.
Miniature eggs Benedict was next. A circular muffin topped with ham and a little quails egg perched on top! The classic breakfast dish was a gorgeous savoury starter and Mr S and I really enjoyed the tiny morsel.
Next was a pea and basil tart, it had the texture of a quiche and it incredibly light and airy.
Now tea, wouldn't be a tea without actual tea? (Try saying that five times fast). And to accompany our garden treat, the Intercontinental offers a selection of handcrafted flower teas.
Blackcurrant and hibiscus was my choice.
Mr Silver chose flowering Osmanthus. We'd tried this tea before at the Intercontinental in Hong Kong. Not only enjoyable to drink, this tea is visually stunning; pour water over the Osmanthus flower and watch it bloom as the flavours infuse into the tea.
Next the sandwich layer!
Now, despite my love of luxury I do have quite simple tastes and I love a good sandwich! We were presented a smoked chicken and tarragon sandwich in the shape of a tear drop. My favourite of the savouries, the sandwich was delicious and not too heavy on the mayonnaise.
Roast beef and and horseradish on beetroot bread tasted as good as it looked. And I don't think I'd ever eaten bread that was such a vibrant shade of red before.
Finally a smoked salmon roulade on rye bread was a fabulous canape-style treat.
A tradition dictates we then moved on to the scones.
Usually I'm not a huge fan of scones, I find them a little stodgy...but I can safely say they were the best I'd ever had. The currant variety were, of course, Chelsea buns to reflect our theme of the day. But it was the lavender infused scones that I really loved. They were small, light and fluffy totally unlike the stodgy buns that I've had at other teas. Devonshire clotted cream, home-made strawberry jam and lemon curd came along side.
A finally came the piece de resistance...The Glasshouse!
The beautiful edible garden came underneath a glass cloche, which imitated a greenhouse. The desserts housed in the greenhouse were works of art and the creation of a very talented chef.
My favourite was this lovely little hedgerow. A lemon flavoured mousse sprayed with chocolate and topped a white chocolate lady bird.
The garden pond was made with manjari chocolate.
The vibrant red slice of gorgeous-ness was sweet pastry topped with raspberries and meringue. Who could think about the bride-to-be diet when faced with all these treats?
I'm rather partial to a macaroon and these beautiful violet confections were just stunning. The pretty pink morsel at the back was a Laurent Perrier champagne bubble.
And best of all the soil and the pebbles were also made of chocolate!! It was a totally magical creation.
Mr Silver and I found the experience totally enchanting and an absolute feast for all the senses. The whole concept was so unique and every element was tied together by the horticultural theme. I have to say it was one of the best afternoon teas I've had in London, everything was just so delicious and well-presented and we didn't come away feeling overly full.
At £44 with completely free-flowing champagne it's also excellent value for money. The tea is available between the 28th April and 26th of May so get yourself to Westminster quickly!
Disclosure: Tea for me and Mr S was complimentary for purposes of the review but all my views are honest and it really was fabulous!
May has to be my favourite month of the year. The cold drizzly weather starts to fade, beautiful blossoms appear on the trees, and a glass of rose finds it way into my hand. It's also the perfect month to get married (!) not to hot or too cold, great food is in season and beautiful blooms are in abundance.
Talking of flowers...the 20th of May marks the opening of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the most famous flower and garden show in the UK which attracts visitors from all over the world to view the innovative garden designs.
The celebrate 101 years of the Chelsea Flower Show, The Intercontinental London Westminster have designed an 'Edible Garden' afternoon tea and they invited me along to sample it.
Supplies of champagne were incredibly generous and my glass was not left empty even for a moment. As Laurent Perrier is one of my favourites, this was definitely much appreciated.
Soon our first course came out on the traditional tea time tower.
And our...